UNH scientist's photos to appear in Discovery News

DURHAM — Earlier this month Joseph Licciardi, a geologist at the University of New Hampshire, captured rare images of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull blowing a ring of steam and gas high into the air.

"The ring lasted about five minutes or so before dissipating," Licciardi told Discovery News, which is publishing the photos. "The apparent fact that Eyjafjallajokull has blown only one observed smoke ring in the past month or so seems to indicate that this is an exceedingly rare occurrence during the present eruption. I feel incredibly fortunate to have witnessed it."

Licciardi said it remains a mystery just how the rings are formed though it's possible that bursts of gas through narrow vents would do the job, much like cigar or cigarette smokers blow rings with their mouths.

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